Pontooned Watercraft

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to watercraft, and in particular to small watercraft used in fishing, hunting and similar recreation on lakes and streams. The watercraft has a displacement hull and a pontoon attached to the hull. The pontoon has an elongated float and an arm, integral with the float and radiating therefrom, for attachment to the hull. The hull has a substantially round bottom and a gunwale and the pontoon is attached directly to the hull, proximate the gunwale.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to watercraft, and in particular to small watercraft used for fishing, hunting and similar recreation on lakes and streams.

2. Description of Related Art

Small watercraft, for example canoes, kayaks, scows, dories, prams, whaleboats, rafts, rowboats, pontoon boats and inflatable dinghies, help sporting enthusiasts gain access to the great outdoors. The fact that such watercraft exist in so many varieties is evidence of a wide variety of demands placed upon them and a wide variety of design criteria to be balanced.

For fishermen, hunters and others, key criteria include safe buoyancy, high stability, easy embarkation and debarkation, good storage space with easy access, low drag (including snag resistance), high maneuverability, easy transportability, unobstructed equipment use and a low seating position.

Not surprisingly, it is difficult optimize all of these criteria in a single watercraft. For example, inflatable dinghies are highly buoyant and stable, but they also tend to have high drag and low maneuverability. In contrast, canoes have low drag and are highly maneuverable, but they are relatively unstable, particularly during embarkation and debarkation or when reaching over the gunwale.

Pontoon boats, which are typically simple platforms supported above the water on a pontooned frame, have low drag and are reasonably maneuverable; however, the platform carries passengers and equipment high above the water, exposing them to the elements and to view, which can be detrimental for hunting, for example.

Boats with displacement hulls carry passengers and equipment below water level; however, such hulls have relatively higher drag and lower maneuverability. These latter characteristics can be particularly problematic when the boat is to be paddled or rowed or is to be driven with a smaller outboard motor, for example an electric motor. Unfortunately, the lowest-drag shape for a displacement hull, the round bottom hull, is also the least stable and so is generally not suitable for active recreation.

Thus it might be expected that none of the currently existing watercraft either optimizes or strikes a perfect balance between all these criteria. Accordingly, a watercraft that strikes a different balance would usefully satisfy a different combination of such demands.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to produce a watercraft that provides safe buoyancy, high stability, easy embarkation and debarkation, good storage space with easy access, low drag (including snag resistance), high maneuverability, easy transportability, unobstructed equipment use and a low seating position.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a watercraft having a displacement hull and a pontoon attached to the hull. The pontoon desirably has an elongated float and an arm, which is integral with the float and radiating therefrom and which may be buoyant, for attachment to the hull. The hull may have a substantially round bottom and a gunwale and the pontoon may be attached directly to the hull, proximate the gunwale. The continuous surfaces of the hull and the pontoon resist snagging objects, including water plants and sporting tackle.

The bottom of the float may be lower than the bottom of the hull, whereby the watercraft rests on the float when on land, the float raising the bottom of the hull above the land.

The top of the arm may define a substantially flat platform substantially level with the gunwale, whereby the platform provides a step between the float and the gunwale for embarking on or debarking from the watercraft.

The watercraft may further include second, third, and fourth pontoons, disposed proximate the four corners of the hull so as not to obstruct the sides of the watercraft amidships.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon considering the following drawings, description, and claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will be more fully illustrated by the following detailed description of non-limiting specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures. In the figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label.

1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an oblique top view of a watercraft according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an oblique bottom view of the watercraft of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the watercraft of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the watercraft of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a right side elevation view of the watercraft of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the watercraft of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a rear elevation view of the watercraft of FIG. 1.

2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

(a) Structure of Specific Embodiments

The structure of the invention will now be illustrated by way of explanation of non-limiting specific exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing figures and described in greater detail herein.

FIGS. 1 through 7 show a watercraft according to one embodiment of the present invention, generally illustrated at 10. The watercraft 10 includes a displacement hull 12 having a gunwale 14 and four pontoons 16 attached directly to the hull 12, proximate the gunwale 14. Each of the pontoons 16 includes an elongated float 18 and an arm 20, integral with the float 18 and radiating therefrom, for attachment to the hull 12.

The hull 12 can be molded from glass fiber and resin or from plastic in accordance with known methods. The pontoons 16 can be rotationally molded from plastic in accordance with known methods.

The pontoons 16 are disposed proximate the four corners of the hull 12 so as not to obstruct the sides of the watercraft 10 amidships.

Each of the pontoons 16 can provide additional buoyancy to the watercraft 10, for example 50% of the buoyancy provided by the hull 12 itself. The float 18 would contribute most of such buoyancy; however, the arm 20 might be made buoyant as well. This additional buoyancy outside the gunwale 14 increases the overall stability of the watercraft 10, such that the hull 12 may safely have a round bottom. In fact, the hull 12 and the pontoons 16 are all substantially characterized by smooth, continuous surfaces that have low drag and resist snagging objects, for example water plants or sporting tackle.

As best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the bottom of each float 18 extends lower than the bottom of the hull 12, such that the watercraft 10 can rest on the floats 18 when on land, the floats 18 raising the bottom of the hull 12 above the land.

As best seen in FIGS. 1, 3, 6 and 7, the top of each arm 20 includes a substantially flat platform 22 that is substantially level with the gunwale 14. The platform 22 in effect provides a step between the float 18 and the gunwale 14 for embarking on or debarking from the watercraft 10.

(b) Operation of Specific Embodiments

In operation, a user would typically embark onto the watercraft 10 by stepping onto the platform 22 on one of the pontoons 16, before stepping over the gunwale 14 and into the hull 12, perhaps via a seat or a deck, for example a foredeck. The user would debark in the opposite way. In this manner, the hull 12 and the pontoons 16 cooperate to hold the watercraft 10 reasonably stable while people embark and debark, and provide such people with reasonably stable places to stand during the process of embarkation and debarkation to steady themselves, plan their next step, and shift any load they are carrying.

In the event that the watercraft 10 is beached ashore, intentionally or otherwise, it would rest upon the pontoons 16 instead of the hull 12, thus providing two advantages. First, any damage wrought by the shore onto the watercraft 10 would be delivered not to the hull 12, but to one of the more easily repaired or replaced pontoons 16. Second, the pontoons 16 present less surface resistance than the hull 12 when pushing the watercraft 10 from the shore.

With the pontoons 16 providing more combined buoyancy than the hull 12 itself, the watercraft 10 has very safe buoyancy; the fact that the buoyancy contributed by the pontoons 16 is divided among four distinct bodies provides further safety. The hull 12 might be completely swamped and the watercraft 10 would still float. In fact, for some endeavors, for example hunting, it is particularly desirable that the displacement hull 12 sit low in the water, so that the watercraft 10, its passengers and its contents create little distraction.

The round-bottomed hull 12 provides generous and easily accessible storage space on the inside, while presenting a smooth, low-drag outer surface in combination with the pontoons 16 for quiet and easy propulsion and maneuverability, even by paddle, oar or small electric outboard motor. These smooth, continuous surfaces also resist snagging water plants. And in contrast to more conventional pontoon craft, in which pontoons extend from framework instead of integrating smoothly with a hull, these smooth, continuous surfaces also resist snagging sporting tackle, for example fishing line.

Such unobstructed use of sporting equipment is reinforced by disposing the pontoons 16 proximate the four corners of the hull 12 so as not to obstruct the sides of the watercraft 10 amidships. Thus for example, a user can cast a fishing line abeam the watercraft 10, reel in a fish, and haul the fish over the gunwale 14, all without obstruction from the pontoons 16.

In between uses, the plastic and/or glass fiber construction render the watercraft 10 light for easy transportation and storage.

(c) Description Summary

Thus, it will be seen from the foregoing embodiments and examples that there has been described a way to make and use a watercraft that provides safe buoyancy, high stability, easy embarkation and debarkation, good storage space with easy access, low drag (including snag resistance), high maneuverability, easy transportability, unobstructed equipment use and a low seating position. The watercraft has a displacement hull and at least one pontoon attached to the hull. The pontoon may have an elongated float and an arm, integral with the float and radiating therefrom, for attachment to the hull. The hull may have a substantially round bottom and a gunwale and the pontoon may be attached directly to the hull, proximate the gunwale.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the invention only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance with the accompanying claims. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications and substitutions can be made to the foregoing embodiments without departing from the principle and scope of the invention expressed in the claims made herein.

While the invention has been described as having particular application for outdoor recreation, those skilled in the art will recognize it has wider application, for example for transportation, search and rescue, and military applications. 

1. A watercraft, comprising: a) a displacement hull; and b) a pontoon attached to the hull.
 2. A watercraft as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pontoon comprises: a) an elongated float; and b) an arm, integral with the float and radiating therefrom, for attachment to the hull.
 3. A watercraft as claimed in claim 2, wherein: a) the hull has a substantially round bottom and a gunwale; and b) the pontoon is attached directly to the hull, proximate the gunwale.
 4. A watercraft as claimed in claim 3, wherein the arm is buoyant.
 5. A watercraft as claimed in claim 3, wherein the bottom of the float is lower than the bottom of the hull, whereby the watercraft rests on the float when on land, the float raising the bottom of the hull above the land.
 6. A watercraft as claimed in claim 3, wherein the top of the arm defines a substantially flat platform substantially level with the gunwale, whereby the platform provides a step between the float and the gunwale for embarking on or debarking from the watercraft.
 7. A watercraft as claimed in claim 3, wherein the continuous surfaces of the pontoon resist snagging objects.
 8. A watercraft as claimed in claim 7, wherein the continuous surfaces of the pontoon resist snagging water plants.
 9. A watercraft as claimed in claim 7, wherein the continuous surfaces of the pontoon resist snagging sporting tackle.
 10. A watercraft as claimed in claim 3, further comprising second, third, and fourth pontoons.
 11. A watercraft as claimed in claim 10, wherein the pontoons are disposed proximate the four corners of the hull so as not to obstruct the sides of the watercraft amidships. 